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The European Parliament voted on Wednesday (December 14th) for faster deadlines for approving new renewable energy facilities, paving the way for talks with EU member states on finalizing the law next year.
The proposal was tabled by the European Commission on May 18 as part of the REpowerEU package, which seeks to end Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuel imports following its military aggression in Ukraine.
Deputies approved the amendments to the final text with 407 votes for, 34 against and 181 abstentions.
The goal of the proposed law is to speed up the process of issuing permits for new power plants based on renewable energy sources, thereby encouraging the domestic production capacities of the EU.
EU member states have yet to give their consent to the text before it becomes law. EU countries are currently considering the Commission’s proposal and are expected to take a position on Monday, paving the way for talks with Parliament to finalize the law after the new year.
“Today’s vote is a positive contribution to a faster energy transition,” said Markus Piper, a conservative German MEP who led the file through parliament for the center-right European People’s Party (EPP).
“The less red tape to approve, the greater the share of renewables, which will ultimately lead to lower energy prices,” Piper said after the vote.
‘Areas of acceleration of renewable energy sources’
The revised text proposes shorter deadlines for approving new installations, with a maximum of nine months for so-called “renewable energy acceleration areas”, to be determined by each EU country depending on local circumstances.
According to the principle of “positive silence”, the request will be considered approved if the competent authority does not respond before the deadline. Outside these areas, the acceleration process should not exceed 18 months.
According to the proposal, renewable energy projects will be considered “of the highest public interest” and can therefore benefit from simplified procedures and special derogations from EU environmental legislation.
In addition, EU countries will have to ensure that permits for the installation of solar equipment on buildings are delivered within a month, while for smaller installations below 50 kilowatts a notification procedure will be sufficient.
“I want to thank the Assembly for its broad support for the measures we proposed. A few of your amendments would strengthen our proposal,” said Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, who addressed MEPs in Strasbourg on Tuesday (December 13th).
“I am very grateful, for example, that you proposed shortening the time limits for issuing permits, both inside and outside the so-called ‘goto-areas.’ Ambitious approval timelines can obviously make a big difference,” he added.
Inclusion of biomass
Although biomass burning plants were not part of the original proposal, a last-minute amendment tabled by the EPP group includes the possibility for EU member states to include them in the fast-track permitting scheme.
“Renewable energy acceleration areas should at least be established for wind turbines and solar plants and could be established for biomethane plants,” reads the final text voted by MEPs.
And while biomass plants are in principle “excluded from the area of acceleration of renewable energy sources”, an exception can be granted “for installations located in the most remote region”, it added.
The amendment sparked a disagreement among lawmakers, with the centrist Renew Europe, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the Greens initially threatening to withdraw their support.
“Site selection for biomass burning plants simply does not depend on renewable energy potential in the same way as wind and solar,” Timmermans explained during the plenary debate.
“Simply put, biomass burning plants can be built anywhere,” he explained, saying that’s why the Commission proposed excluding them from the destination area.
Non-governmental organizations concerned
According to the approved proposal, renewable acceleration areas cannot be designated in nature conservation areas, nor in identified migratory routes of birds and marine mammals – except for artificial and built surfaces such as roofs, parking lots or traffic infrastructure.
However, environmental groups have raised concerns that projects in “visited areas” will be exempt from environmental impact assessments (EIAs) such as those required under the birds and habitats directives.
The parliamentary text also “failed to protect freshwater ecosystems,” VVF added, stating that it would allow green-lighting of hydroelectric dams that are “harmful” to biodiversity.
“The key to the much-needed rapid expansion of wind and solar energy is better spatial planning and greater administrative capacity in issuing permits to the relevant authorities, not the abolition of environmental protection,” said Alex Mason of the VWF’s European Policy Office.
“Excluding renewables from such assessments is counterproductive, as it risks provoking public opposition and leading to further challenges and delays,” he warned.
[Edited by Frédéric Simon]
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